Michael Sullivan takes a dip at dusk on Monday, with the 520 Bridge in the background. This fall and winter he has gone swimming in some of the most stormy local weather on record, including snowfalls.

Michael Sullivan takes a dip at dusk on Monday, with the 520 Bridge in the background. This fall and winter he has gone swimming in some of the most stormy local weather on record, including snowfalls.

Photo: Scott Eklund/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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Michael Sullivan has been swimming in Lake Washington every day since June -- over 200 consecutive days. Here he towels off after his swim on Monday, a swim that, as usually happens in the frigid waters, turned his skin red. less

Michael Sullivan has been swimming in Lake Washington every day since June -- over 200 consecutive days. Here he towels off after his swim on Monday, a swim that, as usually happens in the frigid waters, turned ... more

Photo: Scott Eklund/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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When thermometer plunges, so does he

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On the second-coldest day of the winter, Lake Washington wasn't deserted.

Though Seattle temperatures dipped into the 20s Thursday, an isolated black dot glided back and forth across the water just off the shore at Madison Park.

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Then, ignoring the winter air that turns his skin pale, he walks into the water.

"One of the things I really love about it is how I've got the place to myself," he said. "The solitude out there is really a very nice thing."

Sullivan usually swims for 15 or 20 minutes, a considerable amount of time in water that is often between 45 and 50 degrees.

But the cold doesn't really set in until he gets out of the water. His skin turns bright red, and then the shivering starts.

"It probably is mild hypothermia," Sullivan said. He towels off immediately and usually heads straight for his warm car.

He said he researched the effects of cold water on the human body and failed to find a cut-off temperature for swimming, though it gets "pretty cold" once it drops below 53 degrees.

"Basically, what I determined was that as long as I'm not stupid about it, I'm going to be OK," he said.

"I don't want to do anything too wild and crazy."

To Sullivan's younger brother, Sean, the streak doesn't come as much of a surprise.

"The thing about my brother is -- he's someone who gets very focused on things," Sean Sullivan said.

The brothers swim in Lake Washington during the summer, but this year, Michael Sullivan decided to see how far he could take it. At first, he wanted to swim for 100 days straight, his brother said.

More than twice as many days later, Sean Sullivan said he's decided that this time it's more than just the challenge of meeting a goal.

"At first I just thought it was him getting sort of obsessed and focused on something, but no," he said. "I can honestly say he really enjoys it."

Michael Sullivan isn't alone. Though swimming is a summer pastime for most, there are those who prefer their swims to be chilly -- sometimes to the freezing point.

Ice swimming, which has historical ties to Scandinavia, China and Russia, has been resurrected in recent years and is especially popular in Finland.

In the United States and Canada, "polar bear" clubs also have started to grow. On Jan. 1, about 900 brave souls took a dip in Lake Washington at Matthews Beach Park in Seattle, an event coordinated by Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Walter Geodecke, who organizes the Boulder Polar Bear Club in Boulder, Colo., said it takes a certain type of person to swim in icy water -- usually someone who has a philosophy of living life to the fullest.

As for century-old rumors that ice swimming has health benefits, "maybe it's a rush of adrenaline or maybe endorphins," Geodecke said

"To me, it's just another outdoor activity one can do in the winter, maybe like cross-country skiing or snowshoeing or something of that nature," he said.

Sullivan isn't certain how long he'll keep his streak going. Two-hundred-plus days of swimming in the same lake means he hasn't been out of the city in quite a while, and for now, he wants to keep his goals small.

"Day 216 is seven months," he said.

"Ultimately, my goal is just to do it another day, although at this point it isn't even a goal. It's just what I do every day."